Why did North Philly shift toward Trump in 2024? ‘Social issues do not feed your family'
This article is a part of Every Voice, Every Vote, a collaborative project managed by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism with lead support from the William Penn Foundation, and additional funding from Lenfest, Comcast NBC Universal, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation, Judy and Peter Leone, Arctos Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, 25th Century Foundation and Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation.
North Philadelphia voters swung farther for Donald Trump in 2024 from 2020 than in most other parts of the city. Though from a low base, that's a consequential change in the biggest voting block in a key swing state.
As the second Trump presidency begins, Technical.ly sent comedian TaTa Sherise to Broad and Erie to find out whether the economy was a driving factor in that shift.
Check out the video to hear directly what residents had to say.
While overall turnout in Philadelphia in November 2024 was slightly lower than four years prior (65% vs. 66%, per city data), an Inquirer analysis of votes cast found a significant shift in support for the Republican candidate since the first time he ran for office.
Between 2016 and 2024, Trump's share of the vote increased nearly 5 percentage points across the city (from 15.4% to 20.1%). The biggest jump came in Latino-majority neighborhoods, where support nearly tripled, but it also happened in majority-Black precincts, which went from 2.6% to 6.3%.
Sherise, Technical.ly's first creator in residence, talked to a wide variety of people on that street corner in the weeks leading up to Inauguration Day, from 30-something professionals to 50-year-old neighborhood stans. Not everyone cited finances as a reason, but several called it out as a possible reason — even if they hadn't voted for Trump themselves.
'They wanted those stimulus checks,' one woman answered.
Another woman gave a similar answer, while noting the idea came from a false assumption — one that appeared to be prevalent around the country.
'I heard a lot of people saying, 'Oh yeah, I want to vote for Trump because Trump was, you know, Trump gave us like $1,500,' ' the woman told Sherise. 'But really, it wasn't Trump, y'all! It was not Trump — it was Congress.'
Legislators appropriated the money for the first round of COVID-era stimulus checks, sent in March and December of 2020. But President Trump signed the bill legalizing the outlay and made sure to get his personal signature on the checks. A third round of stimulus checks went out in March 2021, under the Biden administration.
Another one of Sherise's interviewees called out economic factors in a different way, pointing not to Trump's or the Republican party's beneficence, but the Democratic party's neglect.
'Over the last four years, I think a lot of people grew tired of not having certain things they expected from the Democratic Party. It's like they took your vote, then forgot about you,' he said. 'Social issues do not feed your family.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Technical.ly
15 hours ago
- Technical.ly
A powerful Philly grant is fueling small businesses — but few know it exists
This article is a part of Every Voice, Every Vote, a collaborative project managed by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism with lead support from the William Penn Foundation, and additional funding from Lenfest, Comcast NBC Universal, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation, Judy and Peter Leone, Arctos Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, 25th Century Foundation, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation and Philadelphia Health Partnership. This article was created independently of the project's donors. This piece is also available in Spanish, thanks to translation services by Gabriela Rivera, digital communications manager at Resolve Philly. When Juan Jimenez first heard about a program that could offer his small business tens of thousands of dollars, he thought it was too good to be true. Without finding out about it through a friend, Jimenez, who owns Castillo Mattress and Furniture, could've missed out on a $25,000 grant from the City of Philadelphia. 'The biggest thing is funding, for most businesses,' Jimenez said. 'What you need to be able to grow your business or to make more money, it always comes down to money.' The money comes from the city in partnership with lender Greenline Access Capital, which gave Jimenez a loan for $25,000 with an 8% interest rate (on the low side) and helped him apply for a $25,000 match from the city's Business Lending Network Incentive Grant Program. While Jimenez and 113 other businesses have landed grants up to $35,000, the program relies on the financial institutions behind it to tell their clients about it, Kersy Azocar, president and CEO of Greenline, told — but there's no requirement for them to do so. 'We see these programs as a complementary financing component to small businesses,' said Azocar, whose firm primarily serves Philly's Latino community, 'that otherwise couldn't get what they needed if they didn't have these grants.' If lenders neglect to mention the program, however, business owners could miss out on the opportunity. 'Ninety-nine percent of the time, they don't even know this grant exists,' Azocar said. 'They've never heard of it. They think it's not real. They're like, no, I'm not gonna get it. They immediately self-select themselves [out].' She worries small business owners won't get available funding — and it's unclear how much has been granted to date. $1.1 million was originally allocated to the program by City Council, and about $2 million has been dedicated to the program to date, according to the Department of Commerce. When the city's Fiscal Year 2026 budget is passed, the expectation is more money will be added to the program. Tiffany Justice, director of small business resources at the city's Department of Commerce, declined to share how much money is currently available in the program's fund. How to land funds through Philly's microbusiness grant program Philly launched the Business Lending Network Incentive Grant in 2022 to expand an already existing program that simplifies the process for business owners applying for loans, according to Justice, of the Commerce Department. Since its founding in 2017, the Business Lending Network has grown to 30 institutions, including banks of all sizes, community development financial institutions and nonprofits. The later addition of the incentive grant allows businesses to get part of the capital they need as a grant from the city, instead of taking out the full amount in a loan, Justice said. Businesses have to be approved by the city to get access to the lending network and they must be working with an institution within the network to access the grant program. To qualify for the grant, businesses and their owners must: Be located in Philadelphia Have 51% of the company's ownership identify as part of a historically disadvantaged community Employ five people or fewer, including owners Earn less than $350,000 in revenue Comply with city taxes The Commerce Department's review board meets weekly to review applications from the lender partners. While the lenders do most of the initial vetting of these businesses, the city dives deeper into their budgets and plans for the funds, per Justice. 'We go over the project in its whole entirety to make sure that it is a sustainable business,' she said. The original funding for the program was allocated by City Council, she explained, and it continues to be supported by city and federal funding. But first, lenders need to make their clients aware of the funds While the city has the final say over who gets approved for the grants, lenders do most of the work to identify eligible businesses and help them apply for the program, according to Justice. Greenline Access Capital, which is an approved lending partner with the city, explains the program and the criteria to its clients, Azocar said. It helps clients fill out the application, submits the application to the city and actively advocates for the business if any issues pop up. What you need to be able to grow your business or to make more money, it always comes down to money. Juan Jiménez, owner of Castillo Mattress and Furniture This entire process requires a lot of trust between the business owners and the lenders, she said. Even if owners are open to applying for the grant, they may face language barriers or lack access to a computer or the internet to fill out the application. Greenline Access Capital overcomes that by walking its clients step by step through the process, per Azocar, but lenders aren't required to be that involved with their clients' applications. The only requirements for lenders are to contact businesses within five days of applying to the Business Lending Network, if they are interested in working with them. They are also required to keep the Department of Commerce up to date throughout the process. To continue being a part of the network, lenders must attend quarterly meetings to discuss increasing access to capital for small businesses, according to the Department of Commerce. Room to grow and recover from hardship Business Lending Network Incentive Grants have gone toward everything from storefront renovations to furthering business owner education and securing stock to keep up with sales. Martha Santos, owner of interior design and event planning company M Santos Interiors and also a Greenline client, was seeking a $5,000 loan, but was able to get half of it as a grant that she won't have to worry about paying back. Santos used the money, awarded in May 2024, to take business and event planning classes with the goal of offering better services to her clients, she said. 'I also learned how to basically manage my business,' Santos said. 'The clients see the difference in my knowledge that they can [trust me more].' The only things Incentive Grants can't be used for are to refinance existing debt or to directly pay salaries. 'It allows them to think big, to really expand their business,' said Azocar, of Greenline. '[To do] things that they wouldn't consider because they didn't have the money.' For Jimenez from Castillo Mattress and Furniture, who got the grant earlier this year, the money allowed him to start a stockpile of merchandise, buy a digital catalog kiosk and invest in advertising. 'Now that I had a lot of inventory, I was able to advertise greatly on those products that I had in stock,' said Jimenez, who launched his business in 2020. 'I was able to increase sales by a lot, and actually test how much customers actually can I get by advertising.' The funding also acted as a safety net when unexpected hurdles hit. In February, Jimenez's store was damaged after the store next door caught fire. But thanks to the grant and loan program, and insurance he bought to qualify for the program, Jimenez was able to move to a new location with a full inventory and get back on his feet. 'I absolutely believe that that grant is going to help me push my business to a lot higher,' Jimenez said, 'than I would have done on my own without that help.'
Libya Observer
a day ago
- Libya Observer
US travel ban on Libyans and citizens of 11 other countries takes effect
The executive order signed by US President Donald Trump officially came into effect on Monday morning, barring nationals from 12 countries—including Libya—from entering the United States. Last Wednesday, the White House announced in a statement that President Trump had signed an executive order restricting the entry of nationals from the following 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The White House justified the decision by saying the U.S. administration had conducted a thorough risk assessment of these countries, particularly regarding terrorism and national security. The statement explained that the listed countries fail to meet the necessary security requirements and pose a significant threat to the United States. In Libya's case specifically, the White House said the complete suspension of travel by Libyan nationals was due to the absence of a central, competent, and cooperative authority responsible for issuing passports and civil documents. It added: 'A history of terrorist activity within Libyan territory increases the risk of admitting its nationals into the US.' Despite the ban, the statement noted exceptions for individuals holding valid permanent residency or visas, specific visa categories, and individuals whose entry serves US national interests. As for implementation, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a diplomatic cable providing instructions to American diplomatic missions on how consular officers should handle visa applications from nationals of the banned countries. Tags: USA Travel Ban US President Donald Trump
Technical.ly
5 days ago
- Technical.ly
Commerce Department nixes ‘safety' in NIST AI institute rebrand
President Trump's cabinet continues to overhaul federal programs and initiatives, with some recent AI-related moves hitting the Department of Commerce. Secretary Howard Lutnick announced that the AI Safety Institute will now be called the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI). In addition to removing 'safety' from the title of the agency, which was created under the Biden administration in 2023 to set AI standards and guidance, CAISI will pivot to focus more on national security risks and global competitiveness. 'For far too long, censorship and regulations have been used under the guise of national security. Innovators will no longer be limited by these standards,' Lutnick said in a press release. 'CAISI will evaluate and enhance U.S. innovation of these rapidly developing commercial AI systems while ensuring they remain secure to our national security standards.' The Commerce Department did not respond to request for comment, including to provide examples of 'censorship.' CAISI also houses a consortium, established in 2024, of more than 200 companies and organizations that was originally created to develop science-based safety standards for AI operation and design. The group, known as the US AI Safety Institute Consortium, includes several universities and startups from throughout the Mid-Atlantic. That group remains in operation following this announcement, but there are suspicions that it will shut down, according to a person with knowledge about the consortium. CAISI and the consortium's formation under the previous administration was spurred by an executive order by former President Joe Biden, which the Trump administration revoked during his early days in office. Priorities for this newly-renamed government body include plans to ink voluntary agreements with AI developers and companies that can pinpoint risks to national security. That strategy isn't entirely new. Under the Biden administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology — the regulatory agency, housed under the Commerce Department, that hosts CAISI — signed memoranda of understanding to undergo AI safety research with US-based AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. In these new evaluations, CAISI will prioritize looking at use cases in cybersecurity and chemical weapons, per the release. CAISI leadership will also collaborate with the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and intelligence agencies to 'conduct evaluations and assessments.' This move comes as states are grappling with how to regulate AI. Nearby Virginia did not follow through with passing blanket legislation regulating the technology, and House Republicans are torn over a federal budget provision that would ban states from regulating AI for a decade.
